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[ragingseas]

When it comes to my spiritual practice, I’d rather be inconsistent but sincere than consistent but empty.

[ragingseas]

90% of the stuff many people think every religion has is just stuff specific to Christianity.

For example, here's a list of stuff Norse Heathenry doesn't have:

Holy books or scripture

Religious doctrines, dogmas, or taboos

Dualism (good vs. evil, us vs. them, etc.)

Separation of sacred and profane

The requirement of Faith

Sin

A divine plan

A Prophet or Savior

A Satan or "tempter" figure(s)

Deities that are defined by being good or evil

Confession

The need for a mediator between you and the divine

Magical Thinking

A Prosperity Gospel

The need to put deities before human beings

Godly surveillance

Gods that are omnipotent, omnibenevolent, and omniscient

Damnation

Taboos around magic

Rules about sex

A bad afterlife as the default

A need for you to earn your worth (it's inherent)

Rules

[ragingseas]

Me trying to look up any seidr relate content on here: 👀

Marvel Loki posts that have absolutely nothing to do with seidr at all in the slightest: hey

Me: I'm killing you

[ragingseas]

Does anyone have any thoughts if Neil Price's Children of Ash and elm? I'm looking at reviews and they're either super good or super bad. But I take the bad ones with a grain if salt bc they're like "too much gender and sexuality" which I feel is code for "I'm homophobic and transphobic"

[ragingseas]

Hati & Sköll (By Karitas)

[ragingseas]

Norse pagan book recommendations??

I've heard good things about Jackson Crawford and his translations if the Edda's/Volsungs/Havamal. I'm planning to get the Viking way by Neil Price but suggestions or input wld be useful

[ragingseas]

Nisse

Nisse are small, gnome-like creatures from scandinavian folklore. There are different types that lives in forests, farms and houses. They are traditionally depicted with long white beards and red hats. In Norway “nisse” evolved from the Norse “gardvorden” which was a wight/goblin creature (not sure how to translate “vette”) that lived at and took care of farms.

(The description bellow are from norwegian folklore, I don’t know if the other scandinavian countries have different versions)

Skogsnisse (forest-nisse)

Lives in forest. They protect and take care of the forest and animals. My family have always had a tradition of putting out porridge for the forest-nisse during yule :)

Fjøsnisse (farm-nisse)

They live on farms, usually in barns and in exchange for food and shelter, they take care of the farm animals and some chores. One superstition believes that if you don’t give them food, they will pull pranks like break or misplace things. So if you had a lot of bad luck, it was said to be the nisse. 

Husnisse (house-nisse)

Similar to fjøsnisse, but they are also believed to sometimes pull pranks just for fun. For example when you lose items, and they suddenly show up randomly, it was/is believed to be the nisse. All nisse are friends with animals. 

[ragingseas]

In my opinion, spells are to be sung. That's why they are spells. Words carry meaning, and meaning combined with rhythm and passion can create powerful things. Spells are songs sung by those passionate enough to seek what they desire to see happen in the world.

[ragingseas]

Not to be dramatic and I'm normally hyper critical

But I stg I saw like a idk celestial figure running with deer while I was driving just now. Almost like a cloak if stars??? Wack

[ragingseas]

[ragingseas]

Last night I woke up at 5 am to like a haunting not wail, almost like a howl or kinda singing but it was like it was from a woman but not at the same time and like I looked outside and didn't see anything besides that it was getting lighter bc the sun was gonna rise soon and I got back in bed and eventually fell back asleep listening to it

[ragingseas]

Freyja and Hildisvíni!

So happy with this piece I had the pleasure to do for @DamesZine !:D

I tried to illustrate some less known aspect of her Myth, like her golden tears everytime her husband goes to war and her Boar mount (who can fly too btw!)

[ragingseas]

Have you ever heard of Finnish midsummer magic? 🌸

One of the spells tells you to pick seven wild flowers and put them under your pillow overnight. Your future partner will appear to you in your dream.

Funny isn’t it? Our favorite midsummer hobby as a kid.

[ragingseas]

🌊Nøkk in Nordic Folklore🐎

There’s a dozen reasons why I’m excited about Frozen II but Scandinavian folkore is definitely the biggest! There’s been a couple different confusing posts on what nøkk’s actually are so I thought I would clear it up a little bit.♡

The nøkk/nix/nokken/nekker/nøkke is a shapeshifting water spirit mentioned throughout Germanic and Scandinavian mythology and folklore, who often appear in the form of other animals - typically horses. While the tales share many similarities, I am going to focus specifically on the Scandinavian nøkk(näcken or näkki). There are many different names and stories of water spirits in Scandinavian folklore, so a few others will be brought up in reference and comparison! **Please note, most folklore is often based on oral traditions and tales so references will only go back so far.**

The Scandinavian nøkk are told to be male water spirits who play enchanting songs on the violin, often times luring women and children(sometimes men) to drown in lakes or streams. He is also a known shapeshifter, usually changing into a horse or man in order to lure his victims to him. 

However, not all of them are necessarily malevolent; a heafty portion of stories indicate at the very least that nøkk were entirely harmless to their audience. Stories also exist where the Fossegrim(water spirit, “Grim”) have agreed to live with a human who had fallen in love with him, but many of these stories ended with the nøkk returning to his home, usually a nearby waterfall or brook. Fossegrim, much like nøkk, are described as an exceptionally talented fiddler: the sounds of earth, wind and water are said to play over his fiddle strings. They can be bribed into teaching the skill. The Swedish Strömkarlen(Fossegrim) is said to have eleven variations! The eleventh one being reserved for the night spirits because when it is played, “tables and benches, cup and can, gray-beards and grandmothers, blind and lame, even babes in the cradle will begin to dance”. The stories go, that he is willing to teach his skills in exchange for a food offering made on a Thorsday evening and in private. You could bring him either; “a white he-goat thrown with head turned away into a waterfall that flows northwards,” :or smoked mutton(fenalår) stolen from the neighbor’s storage(or your local Walmart lol) four Thorsdays in a row. But if there is not enough meat on the bone, he will only teach you how to tune the fiddle. If the offering is satisfactory, he will take the your right hand and draw your fingers along the strings until they all bleed, after which you will be able to play so well that “the trees shall dance and torrents in their fall stand still”.

There isn’t a set description to how the nøkk looks, due to one of his primary attributes being shapeshifting. Perhaps he did not have any true shape.! He could show himself as a man playing the violin in brooks or waterfalls(though in modern times he is often imaged as fair and naked, in folklore he was more frequently described as wearing elegant clothing) but he could also appear to be treasure, various floating objects, or as an animal—most commonly in the form of a “brook horse”. The modern Scandinavian names(nixe/nikker/nøkke/etc) are derived from Old Norse nykr, meaning “river horse”. Thus, it is likely that the figure and tales of the brook horse preceded the personification of the nøkk(and it’s derivatives) as the “man in the rapids”. 

For some fun bonus info: the nøkk were also known as an omen for drowning accidents. He would scream at a spot of his choosing in a lake or river, in a way that was reminiscent of a goose, and on that spot, a death would later take place. He was also said to cause drownings, but swimmers could protect themselves against such a fate by throwing a bit of steel into the water. In Scandinavia, water lilies are called “nix roses”(näckrosor/nøkkeroser). A tale from the forest of Tiveden goes; that a father promised his daughter to a nøkk who had offered the father great hauls of fish in a time of need; she refused and stabbed herself to death, staining the water lilies red from that time on. The nøkk are also mentioned semi-frequently in folklore inspired stories of the 19th century including; a poem by E.J. Stagnelius, “Brother Fabian’s Manuscript” by Sebastian Evans, and more!

[ragingseas]

My Thoughts on Freyja

Freyja is a wonderful Goddess. I love her because she encompasses Many different things like Love, beauty, sex, fertility and gold, but also war and death. When I worship Freyja I come to her a lot to seek advise on self love, but what Freyja gives me in response I think is what I love the most about her. Freyja doesn’t comfort me when i’m sad about something nasty someone has said. Freyja tells me to hold my head high and to never give someone that type of power over my feelings. She’s the goddess that tells me to stand up for myself when men try to touch me. She’s the goddess that tells me to don my lipstick like war paint and to attack my day with power and grace. She’s the goddess that fills me with a sense of pride over myself and all I’ve accomplished. Freyja is the strong hand I need when I’ve started to feel sorry for myself, and I love that. 

She is not a soft goddess, but that doesn’t make her any less of a goddess of love and beauty. 

[ragingseas]

Goddess dealing with forbidden love and desires.

[ragingseas]

The Freyja Masterpost 

(Disclaimer; these listings will begin with the verifiable, slowly descend into the realm of shared personal gnosis and end on a personal note. Please take the ‘associations’ section in particular with a grain of salt, save for those things which we know to be directly linked to her, like milkwort and amber.)

→  Primary Source Material

Poetic Edda

Völuspá, Grímnismál, Lokasenna, Þrymskviða, Oddrúnargrátr, and Hyndluljóð

Prose Edda

Gylfaginning and Skáldskaparmál

Sagas

 Egils saga, Njáls saga, Hálfs saga ok Hálfsrekka, and Sörla þáttr

Further breakdown of her references and source materials here.

→  Kennings & Titles

Names & Titles

Vanadís (Lady of the Vanir)

Valfreyja (Lady of the Slain)

Hörn (Flaxen, Flaxen-Haired)

Mardöll (Sea-Bright)

Gefn (Giver)

Sýr (Sow)

Thröng (Throng)

Kennings (Verified)

Post can be found here.

Kennings (Personal)

Freyja the Golden

Lady of Divine Inspiration

Freyja the Heart Seeker

Freyja the Ironclad

Freyja Sightbringer

Chooser of Victory

Freyja the Bloodied

Freyja Hedgerider

She of the Flowered Meadow

Lady of Folkvangr

Lady of the Weeping Heart

→  References & Secondary Source Materials

The Goddess Freyja and Other Female Figures in Germanic Mythology and Folklore (abstract)

The Concept of the Goddess

The Great Goddess of the North

Freyja’s Cats: Perspectives on Recent Viking Age Finds in North Iceland 

The Valkyrie’s Gender: Old Norse Shield-Maidens and Valkyries as a Third Gender

Hosting Freya, Goddess of Tears: The Transformative Power of Conscious Crying 

Freyja: Goddess of Magic

The Old Norse God Óðr 

→  Associations & Offerings

Animals

Cats, Boars, Pigs, Raptors, Geese, Horses, Songbirds, Fireflies, Cows

Plants & Herbs

Common Milkwort, Chamomile, Vervain, Hemp, Catnip, Rosemary, Rose, Dandelion, Nutmeg, Vanilla, Mint, Mugwort, Juniper, Wormwood, Belladonna, Wildflower, Thyme, Lavender, Birch, Yew

Scents & Incense

Sandalwood, Amber, Dragon’s Blood, Chamomile, Vervain, Rose, Frankincense, Citrus, Heady Perfumes

Stones & Gems

Amber, Citrine, Rose Quartz, Snow Quartz, Gold, Obsidian, Peridot, Jade, Pyrite

Foods

Mead, Honey, Pork, Nectarine, Strawberry, Cappuccino, Chocolate, Liquor, Hazelnut, Wine, Blackberry, Lemon, Bread, Corn, Tea, Fine Cheeses, Fish, Steak, Red Velvet Cupcakes, Apple Cider and Artisinal Products

Colors

Gold, White, Soft Pink, Ebony, Mint, Crimson, Violet, Leaf Green, Bronze, Orange, Rose Gold, Rose

Sounds

Birdsong early in the morning

The sound of a river or stream rushing along the rocks

The rustle of tree branches

Laughter, intense or easy

Flesh clinging to flesh

The sound of a lovers’ moans

The crunch of bone

The singing of steel when withdrawn from a sheath

The keening of raised voices

The clink of glasses

The lilting of windchimes

The gentle rush of the waves as they kiss the sand

Kulning and throat-singing

Playlists & Music

Fljóð by Herborium (8tracks)

Vanadis by Mcgaldi (8tracks)

Warrior Queen by bphoenix (8tracks)

Tears of Gold by kristability (8tracks)

O’ Freyja by defnekartal (8tracks)

Folkvangr by kristability (8tracks)

Lady of the Slain (spotify)

Forged by Fate (spotify)

Freyja // General (spotify) 

Devotional Playlist (various)

Other

Sex, blood, battle, hedgeriding, spiritworking, warding/protection magic, baneful magic, psychoanalysis, acts of courage, kulning, galdr, utiseta, acts of self care, psychopompery, gardening, meditation and diplomacy, rhetoric, righteous anger, acts of defense and protection, crying and acts of catharsis, acts of love, enjoying the "finer things,” large parties and banquets, dancing, fine art and visual aesthetic

→  Relevant Blog Posts

(to avoid deadlinking, all those listed below circle back to this blog)

It bothers me to see Freyja declawed.

Freyja - How to honour and invoke her.

Gullveig’s Gold Fixation

Kennings for the Vanir: Skáldskaparmál.

Various UPG Kennings

Freyja Primary Sources 

Folkvangr & Sessrumnir UPG

Regarding Devotional Jewelry

Freyja and the Golden Hour

Freyja Starter Kit

Gullveig and the Völuspá

Invoking Freyja

Freyja Pronunciation in Old Norse

On Cats in Norse Pre-Christian Society

Devotional Poetry, 22/6

Small Devotional Acts to Freyja

Bottled Offering for Freyja

Freya Cheat Sheet

Freyja vs. Frigg (short reply)

How to Reach Out to Freyja (UPG)

General Freyja UPG

→  Personal Thoughts & UPG

For those who are too keen, too intense, who fight for an ideal… She is their patron. She strips away illusion and leaves only truth. Freyja is the twilight, the place where light and shadow intersect, the glittering gold of inspiration and the bone-deep satisfaction that comes from exercising ones’ autonomy. She is the Heartseeker and with this talent finds the most valuable aspects of all things. Freyja acts as a mirror for the soul. 

To those she cares for, she is gentle and wiser still. She can exercise great patience and knows how to play the long game. She promotes stability and community and through this, knows how to call upon allies in times of need. She is not simply a goddess of love but a goddess of relations; of friends, enemies and rivalries.

When it is time for war, this darkest aspect of humanity, she revels in the fight and the kill. Never are her hands dirtied, yet Valfreyja loves the taste of blood on the tongue. Righteous fury, shrieks in the darkness, burning the sheds and salting the earth. Her anger is as deep and boundless as her love, for above all things she is a Goddess of Feeling and emotional intensity. 

She is of the human experience. To live is to know Freyja. Those who honor her well will receive the ends they seek. Those who place themself in her contempt will never know peace.

Hail the Vanadis, Chooser of the Slain! Hail Freyja!